For shadow dwelling women

February 5, 2017

Sabat Magazine: Mother Issue Review & Crone Issue Preview

I may be a bit late to the party, but several weeks ago I finally ordered a copy of Sabat Magazine’s second issue, The Mother Issue. And I must say I found myself baffled by both its intriguing articles and its aesthetics in design.

Sabat Magazine is an indie publication founded and edited by Elisabeth Krohn. The first issue, The Maiden Issue, was published in summer 2016 (I think!) and sold out pretty quickly. The Mother Issue was then released in September 2016. The magazine is about and directed at modern-day witches, yet it does not stick to one rigid definition of witch. In my opinion, every strong and independent woman dwelling in the shadows will recognize herself in one article or another.

Each issue of Sabat Magazine focusses on the eponymous topic, and I must confess that since I choose not to have children, the topic of the mother scared me off a bit at first. But I was mistaken! The contributors explore the issue of motherhood on many levels, and they show that motherhood cannot be solely defined by giving birth to children.

“What is mother? This second issue of Sabat tries to cast light on what is, to me, one of the most mysterious of female archetypes. Persistent in her duality, mother is vastness, Nature, a love unyielding and beyond, sacrifice and almighty power, creation and destruction embodied.”
Elisabeth Krohn in her editor’s note to Sabat Magazine, The Mother Issue

Just like the articles, the art in Sabat Magazine explores the darker side of the feminine. The magazine features pages of pages of photography and illustrations you would want to tear out and frame. But you don’t have to, for the Sabat Magazine comes with a poster! In general, I secretly found myself admiring the playful, thought-through layout most, showing the magazine to all of my friends. Working as a journalist myself, I know very well how labor-intensive such a layout is – and how much it costs in production! But see for yourselves:

My favourite quote, taken from the article “Other Mother” by Pam Grossman:

Just look at his fore-edge printing! If you bend the pages to the other side, the different stages of fetal development become visible on the edge (thanks to my partner for modeling in this shot 😉 ).

Some pages are transparent, creating stunning effects as seen in this example.

At last, I’d like to dedicate this blog post to my own mother, who is battling a severe illness right now. If I could fight this battle for her, I would. But I know how strong she is, for all mothers are fighters.